Life is Like a Boat
by SugarGlazed
Summary: Sorin Elva wants freedom - of her cursed people and from the contract she made with Captain Bluejam. She meets Luffy, Ace, and Sabo on Dawn Island - 12 years before the Summit War. Their meeting is unfortunate; a story of true love and heartbreaking betrayal.
1. We Met on the Streets Like Trash

Disclaimer: I do not profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s); pictures and songs included. Sorin Elva belongs to author PorcelainBlack/PlayfulxPurple. She gave me permission to borrow her on account of us being close friends. Ask her and she'll tell you the same. The plot is mine - what I added.

This work is strictly before the Summit War arc in the series. It follows the manga 12 years before then, when the trio are kids. The fic is again strictly original character x Ace; no poly ASL. Please pay attention to the warning tags. This work has adult themes (the characters may start young, but they will age) and spoilers to the series. Please enjoy.

* * *

Sorin Elva made a grave mistake; she tried to steal from pirates. She was caught, of course, but even for a 9 year old, the consequences were just as dire. They were going to kill her. She'd die alone and no one would care.

Her small body hurt very bad. Elva cried out in pain every time the Lieutenant would kick her. The ribs in her chest felt cracked; her breathing was becoming shallow and her eyelids were heavy with sleep. However, her thoughts were on the books laid out on the ground an arm's length away from her.

They were important to her. The books would guarantee her survival in the world, but none of that mattered now. Porchemy was going to kill her, crush her bones into dust before she ever got the chance to become a doctor. Still, Elva tried to reach for them, straining to wrap her fingers around the spine of the volume 1 encyclopedia.

Porchemy saw what she was trying to do and kicked the book further from her reach. He loved the sound she made; so sad and very frightened. The young girl was scared of him. _She should be,_ he thought to himself. Elva may have been important to his captain, but that gave her no reason to run around and do as she liked. He kicked her again, just because he wanted to.

"Boss, no offense, but the Captain will shoot us if we kill her." He made no attempt to grab the man, but he wanted to. Porchemy was making a grave mistake by hurting the little medic. She was important to them, but not only because of her choice in career; Elva was unique.

The large man turned and glared at the Carrier. It was his fault they were in this situation. He lost the money his captain was supposed to pay off to the nobles, then allowed the girl to steal from them. If anyone should be shot, it should be him. Porchemy honestly thought about offering his head to their captain, but they needed him. He could recognize the one who stole from them.

His attention went back to the little girl. She was still on the ground, curled up in pain. It made him sick. "Get the hell up, brat. You're going to return the Captain's tribute back to him once we get back our money. It will be up to him what to do with you."

Elva glared at him; her blue eyes were dark like the sea during a storm. "T–They're only books. He wouldn't want them, so piss off."

Porchemy disregarded her and reached down to pick her up. Her knees collapsed beneath her, but he didn't let her fall over. His fingers tightened around the hood of her torn shirt, lifting her off her feet. _Such a little thing._ Porchemy laughed as he dangled her above the ground. She didn't even put up a struggle. "What's wrong, brat? Not wanting to fight me? You sounded so ready to throw down a minute ago."

Elva ignored his questions; he knew the answers. Her eyes burned with tears, but she tried not to let Porchemy see them. He'd only laugh and hit her again, as if her pain was amusing to him. _Pathetic. I'm so weak._ She dropped her head and stared at the books on the ground. All she wanted was to read the next one; her captain was missing the 2nd volume, but it didn't matter to Elva. Someday she'd have them all, then again, it was only wishful thinking. She'd never be allowed to leave their crew.

Porchemy shook her little body like a doll, making her head spin. He laughed as her face screwed up in agony. But then, a high pitched scream caught his attention; it sounded like a cry for help. Looking at Elva, he noticed that she heard it too. Her ears twitched, searching for the source of the sound.

"Hey, I heard voices from here; children's voices." A stocky pirate with a wood staff came scurrying out from the undergrowth, shoving his finger in the direction of the noise. His superior glared at him and hissed at him to shut up. Porchemy shook Elva again, ordering her to verify what she heard.

"It was someone my age; younger maybe." Elva listened again. She heard a plethora of voices; each of them male. They were close, but even though they were whispering, she could hear them clear as a bell. "Over there; through the foliage." She pointed a finger in the right direction and ordered them to follow the path.

The spiteful lieutenant tossed her like a rag doll at the member with the hooded T shirt, who caught her with a grunt. He swung Elva over his shoulder and followed the crew through the bushy forest. She watched sadly as her books were left on the ground; lost to her forever.

Porchemy lead the crew through the forest; a path had opened up. The canopy blocked out most of the sun, but streaks of light that poured through the gaps helped to brighten the area. It smelled of dusty soil and pine resin; a scent that Elva found to be relaxing. She nearly forgot about the others until Porchemy began to speak.

"Those children Ace and Sabo you're telling me about are famous around here. You're sure it's Ace that took your money, right?" Elva twitched her ears; she'd heard of them before. They stole from traders and shady pirates around the Terminal. She had never met them or seen them before personally, but they'd made a name for themselves amongst the people of the junkyard. Elva listened as Porchemy and the Carrier talked about them; nothing was mentioned that she didn't already know.

Porchemy stopped at the base of a huge tree and glanced around. He found nothing of interest. "Put down the brat."

The hooded pirate plucked Elva from his shoulder and placed her bare feet on the dry earth. She was ordered to listen and faced the quiet forest, placing her hands on either side of her ears. She could hear nothing at first, then the faint sound of tense undertones filled the air. They were indeed the same young males as before, talking about Porchemy. She heard them mention her and when she looked in their direction, the bushes where they hid rustled loudly. A gentle smile spread across her face, but just as quickly it fell. Elva felt bad for them; they reminded her of the others in the Terminal. All they wanted to do was survive. What right did she have to decide their fate?

"I don't hear anything." Elva glanced at Porchemy and tilted her head. "Sorry, but no one is around. All I hear are 3 chatty squirrels in the underbrush."

The huge pirate gritted his teeth. _Little brat!_ He grabbed her by the arm and yanked down her hood, exposing her pointed ears. Porchemy lifted his sword and put the cold blade to one. "Don't mock me, brat. If you don't tell me where they are, I'll cut an inch for every second you waste." His blade pressed deeper against the uncovered flesh to stress his point.

Elva opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn't possibly rat them out; the Captain would never allow them to live. Her bright eyes flickered toward the bush and she pointed further into the forest – she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I hear voices coming from that way. They're faint, but the same." She hoped the vicious lieutenant would believe her. His grip on her hood had become loose; he did.

Suddenly, however a boy came running out of the underbrush. Elva yelped as Porchemy tossed her aside and grabbed him, lifting the dark haired boy off his feet. He struggled to be released, but the pirate tightened his grip around his slender body and held him close. "Let go of me! Damn you … help me Ace!" Elva was too scared to move; the pirate would know that she had lied.

"Did you just say Ace?" Porchemy narrowed his eyes, giving Elva a glare before returning his attention to the boy. "Do you know him?"

The boy smiled; a goofy expression that just didn't fit the grave tone of the situation he was in. "He's my friend … oh, but he did try to kill me just now."

"I'm going to ask you one thing. Today, he took our money and ran away. Do you happen to know where he is?" The ingenuous boy puckered his lips and began to whistle nervously, telling Porchemy that he didn't know; it was obvious that he was lying. This made the Lieutenant snicker. "You leave me no choice then … I'll make you tell us, don't worry." He ordered the same pirate to grab the girl and began walking back towards the junkyard, holding the noisy boy at arm's length to avoid his unruly limbs.

Elva pushed up on her forearms and stared out sorrowfully at the fading plant life – the boys from the underbrush had come into the clearing, watching them go. Heart beating fast, she felt drained. She silently begged them to help her and cried when they did not.

 _No use … they can't hear you._ Sorin Elva was an idiot to have hoped for better.


	2. Trust Me

_He'll be crushed … no one could survive that._ Elva went pale; her ears jerked down in sadness. She wanted to look away, turn her attention to something other than what she was about to witness, but she couldn't. Her small body was paralyzed – the dirty floor seemed to have glued her in place.

In horror, Elva watched the lieutenant raise a large wooden mallet above his head, cursing the young boy who he towed back from the forest. The minute the pirates returned – utilizing the shoddy den Elva often lodged in – Porchemy ordered the voluble boy to be secured to a rafter in the corner of the room. He'd asked him to give up the location of Ace and their money, but he had refused, barking stubbornly that he would not. Porchemy was not happy; Elva could hear the teeth in his mouth grind together in annoyance. With a grumble, he slammed the head of the mallet down onto the small frame of the boy. The hammer bounced off him – his body sprang back with a sudden boing. Elva herself squeaked in surprise.

"Like I already told you, I ate the gomu-gomu …" The boy's statement was shut out by the delayed screams of the crew; they could not believe it either. _He really is made of rubber._

Elva had never heard of a Devil Fruit before; she doubted few had. It sounded made up and she would have went on believing it, had it not been for the boy and display of this special ability. Where did he even get one? She was certain they were rare, because she had never before seen one, especially not in the woods at the base of Mt. Colubo. It did little to slake her interest, seeing it up close. Elva wanted to know more about it; these so called Devil Fruits.

Reality crashed down on her like a wave of ice cold water the minute Porchemy demanded someone to retrieve his gloves. She knew the ones he was referring to; a set of large iron gauntlets with spikes protruding from them. Elva had seen them before, but had luckily never been unfortunate enough be on the receiving end of the lieutenant's right swing. She feared for the young boy now – he was lifted in the air like a hunk of meat.

Porchemy gave the persistent boy a second chance; _more than I should have given him._ But, he still refused to answer. This made the lieutenant mad. He reared back his gloved fist and punched the boy in the head. The momentum of the swing tossed his slender body to the side, but the rope jerked him back, not allowing him the chance to escape.

A spurt of blood hit the dirt floor, provoking a satisfied smile from Porchemy. The boy started to wail and cry in pain – Elva dropped her eyes to the floor. _It's going to be a long day for you, my friend._

[2]

The lieutenant punched him for nearly an hour, then decided to take a break. The sniveling boy had yet to spill the truth and honestly Elva wasn't sure why. She waited for Porchemy and his men to leave before standing on her unsteady legs and walking leisurely over to her sling bag against the wall, taking from it a portable first aid kit. It wasn't much – if fact it needed to be refilled – but as a novice doctor, surviving in a lawless community, it was necessary. Elva sighed and brought the kit with her, having to drag a tall wooden stool in front of the boy just to reach him. She pulled on a set of powderless exam gloves and began dabbing away at the dry, flaking blood on his round face. On contact, he flinched and opened his brown eyes; the lid above his right was engorged and discolored.

"It hurts … I'm scared." _He's beaten,_ Elva thought. He'd been murmuring the same words over and over since Porchemy wounded him. Elva wasn't even sure he knew that she was there. It pained her to see this; he seemed like such a spirited person before all this began. Fat, warm tears sank down her red cheeks.

"Stop this … stop being so stubborn." Her voice was husky and so faint she almost thought the boy hadn't heard. "Why are you protecting Ace? It's going to get you killed."

The boy unexpectedly beamed. "He's my friend. Sabo too."

Elva was baffled; she couldn't believe how naïve he was. Her gentle strokes against his skin became rough as irritation took her. _Some friends they are._ She felt bad for him; his trust failed him. Elva sighed – her fingers eased up. There was no reason for her to cast her anger onto him. It wasn't his fault after all. "I'm real sorry about all this. There's honestly nothing more I can do without Lieutenant Lardass finding out. He'd punish us both." Her ears jerked up – the one tucked below the cloth dressing throbbed in protest.

"You're ears are real weird," the boy mentioned suddenly, lifting his brow. He noticed them drop a bit and laughed. "I've never seen ones like yours before. I like them." They reminded him of knives; pointed at the top.

Elva felt her cheeks go warm. No one had ever spoken about her ears like that; mocked them and yanked on them, but like them, this was new to her. "Thanks … I guess. They are good for hearing noises most people can't."

"Can they really? What am I saying?"

The friendly boy shut his eyes and began to utter something quietly to himself. Elva was confused at first, but she realized he was giving her a name; his name. "Luffy … Monkey D. Luffy." What a strange name. "I'm Sorin Elva."

Luffy let out a peculiar laugh. "Wait until you meet Ace and Sabo. They will like them too." He considered asking Elva more about herself; about her weird pointed ears and if she too ate a Devil Fruit, but her attention was trained on nothing in particular – blue eyes inactive as if she was broken. Luffy saw her ears spring up and jerked in alarm as she came to life.

"He's coming back," she uttered softly, dashing to get back to her spot on the floor. Elva moved the stool – in too much of a panic to care where she placed it – and shuffled over to the bag to deposit her kit. Her bare feet kicked up dirt as she trudged back to the corner, but she managed to lose her footing on the way and fell hard to her knees. The lieutenant soon returned – his crew bringing up the rear.

Porchemy noticed the brat and snorted in amusement. She was a clumsy one; her feet got her seized up when she tried to escape into the woods previously. He thought about asking her why she'd been up and moving around, but honestly he didn't care. There was still a job to be done. Porchemy ignored her for the time being and slid back on his gloves. The stubborn boy was right where he had left him, only he looked washed up; the old blood on his face was gone. He no longer was curious about what the knife eared girl had been doing; he knew. She was still wearing the rubber gloves on her hands. _Think you're clever, do you?_ He'd have to show her the consequences of her decision.

"Oi, brat. Watch this," Porchemy demanded. He reared back his fist and struck the kid hard in the ribs. His little form bobbed like a lure in the water as he sobbed in pain. "Hear that? He's broken and there's nothing you can do about it. Want me stop? Make him spill."

Elva choked back a sob. How? She barely knew him, other than his name. Even if she had been close to him, she doubted that Luffy would turn in Ace and Sabo. He would die for them and it made her sick. "Where are they? Please … give them up … save yourself from this."

"I won't say," he said quietly. The lardass punched him again. It hurt so much, but Luffy refused to give them up. Elva was talking much too softly for him to understand, but he knew she wanted his suffering to end. She pleaded for it.

Porchemy had enough; his life was on the line. His captain would not allow him another chance if he failed. He drew his sword, intending to kill the boy. He wasn't going to spill the location of his friends, so there was no reason for him to live.

Yet, before Porchemy had the chance to drive his sword into Luffy, the right wall gave in and crashed to the floor. Pieces of broken wood rained down as two young boys emerged from outside – Elva noticed that each of them carried a long metal pipe. She wasn't certain who they were, but the minute Luffy cried out his name, there was no mistaking it; Ace and Sabo had come to rescue him.

Elva watched as both of them rushed the lieutenant. The dark haired boy was caught mid swing and suspended in the air by this throat. Porchemy was unperturbed by their attempt to attack him and began to choke the boy, but he failed to notice the other one sneaking up from behind until he was bashed on the head and knocked to the ground – Sabo was evidently the blond; Ace called his name.

Sabo dove forward and lifted a knife off a crew member Ace and he knocked over when they broke through the wall, then cut the rope that held Luffy. He caught him with ease and made for the door, calling out to Ace to follow him. However, his idiot friend had other plans. He was going to stay and fight.

 _He's insane. Is he asking for a death wish?_ Elva couldn't believe the nerve of him. Ace stood his ground; Porchemy wasn't intimidated by him in the least. She witnessed Sabo toss down Luffy – to aid the reckless boy – and hurried over to him, lugging her sling bag with her. He was considerably beat up and she only hoped that she had enough bandages to cover his injuries with. That would have to wait however, because none of them were yet free of Porchemy or his men.

In their way, preventing them from leaving was the pirate who carried Elva like a sack of potatoes. He made eye contact with her only briefly as she dug through her bag, averting his attention when the sound of metal on metal rang in his ears. Elva retrieved a mini glass jar with a cork lid and popped the top, lobbing the contents at him. The powder stuck to his clothes like glue and instantly brought out a reaction from him.

"The hell is this? It itches like crazy," he hissed, digging at his skin with his short, stubby nails. The sensation only seemed to worsen.

 _Maple samara and ground rose hips; makes a very nasty itching powder._ Elva giggled in amusement. Her ears picked up on a sound; one of metal in the dirt. She turned just in time to see Porchemy drop – a wound to his forehead. He was out cold. _They beat him … they really did it._

"Oi … Elva." She jumped as Luffy clutched her leg. His eyes rolled back and instantly he was out.

Elva squealed in alarm. She bent down to survey the damage, but it was clear that he passed out from exhaustion alone. Even so, his injuries were severe and Elva needed to patch him up before they got worse. "Um … guys. A little help."

[3]

Elva turned up her nose. "I certainly will not scram. You're all beat up and if not for me then you'd all be in worse shape than you are now." She had a point; all three of them were covered in bandages. Luffy was in worse shape than the others, but Ace made it clear he didn't want her assistance – she glared back at him as she dabbed away the blood from his nose. He was going to need to keep a plug in it just to stop the bleeding. The medical supplies in her bag were not nearly enough. She huffed in annoyance. "Look … I know you don't have a reason to trust me, but if I wanted you dead I would have told Porchemy back in the forest where you were hiding."

Ace snorted, "Nothing stopping you now. One act of kindness isn't going to change the fact that you're one of them." He noted the visible recoil in her movements; something troubled her. Yet, the sharp eared girl forced a smile and continued to tend to his injuries.

"You some kind of doctor, or something? I saw you back there with that powder. The hell was that stuff anyway?" Sabo tugged at the rim of his hat, seeing the way her ears bounced up in excitement. He was too annoyed with himself to admit it was cute; _the hell kind of Devil Fruit did she eat?_

Elva bobbed her head. "I am … or rather I'd like to be. And to answer your question, it was simple itching powder. I learned to make it from a book." Her ears slumped down; she nearly forgot about the volume she was forced to leave behind. No chance that she'd be lucky enough to find it. The pages were probably all ruined.

"Would have taken you for a spy, honestly. Those ears you have must be an advantage for them," Sabo mentioned.

 _More like a curse to me,_ the cheerless girl thought. She took a deep breath and stood, arching her sore back. Her fingers curled around the hood of her cloak and pulled it over her head, veiling them. She was embarrassed to display them for too long; people always had questions. Elva gave Sabo a gentle smile. "I wouldn't know … been a prisoner of theirs for as long as I can remember. That building you two wrecked was my home, now I don't have one."

"Doesn't matter," Ace snapped. "You can't stay with us, not now that Porchemy will be looking for you."

Sabo shot him a glare. "You can sure talk. That's a really bad habit you have there, Ace. Saying 'I'm not gonna run' to a real pirate like that. Why do you want to die so much?" He snorted in laughter. Sometimes he didn't understand his friend. "Now that you've gone and done what you do … there's no way Bluejam's men will ever forgive us. We're gonna be chased now."

Luffy – who had been crying the entire time – finally spoke up. His voice was unclear because of the amount of sobbing he was doing, but Ace heard him clearly. He was certain the girl had too because she narrowed her bright eyes in concern for him. It really pissed him off, especially when Luffy thanked him for saving his sorry butt.

"I don't get it," Ace barked. "Why didn't you spill the secret? Those men are criminals who easily kill women and children."

Luffy dried his tears, "But if I told them, then we couldn't be friends anymore."

This shot a pang of sadness into Elva's chest. She hated that Ace was so unforgiving to the rubber boy; he certainly didn't deserve Luffy as a friend.

"But it'd be still better than dying, wouldn't it? Why do you want to be friends so much with me?" Ace couldn't understand it; no one wanted him alive. It drove him mad; hot tears burned at his eyes. "Do you know how much shit you've put me through? After finally following me all the way here."

Elva clinched up her fists. _Arrogant brat,_ she thought. After everything Luffy went through to protect his secret, he still didn't understand. "The hell is your problem? Have you no idea the pain he went through to protect you?" Fat, warm tears poured down her cheeks. "I begged him to rat you out, but he wouldn't. He … he chose to die; he would have died for you."

"Stay out of this. And scram already. We don't want you here," Ace snapped. His cold eyes made her visibly flinch. She knew nothing; understood nothing about him. Ace was the son of a demon. He honestly didn't care what happened to him, not when the world would be so much happier without him in it.

"But I have no one else to rely on," Luffy cried – everyone went silent. "I can't go back to Foosha Village and I hate the mountain bandits. If I didn't chase after you, then I'd be alone … and being alone hurts worse than pain."

A sob tore from the girl's mouth; Ace could see that she was trying to hold back more. He felt bad for making her cry. "What about your parents?" His attention drifted back to Luffy.

"My grandpa's all I have," the rubber boy uttered.

Ace scoffed, "So if I'm with you, then it doesn't hurt … and if I'm gone … it'd be a problem for you, huh?" He saw Luffy bob his head in agreement. He was confused. "You want me to live?" Again, Luffy agreed. No way could he have meant it, but something in Ace begged him to believe the boy. So he did.

 _Worse than pain, he says. I've always been alone._ Elva wiped at her face, hearing the two begin to argue. She knew Ace was right; she needed to leave. Bluejam was still alive, probably looking for her. She'd only be a nuisance if she stayed – the girl slid her bag onto her shoulder. _There's no freedom for someone like me._ Elva planned to leave and turn her back on the only taste of freedom she ever had. She turned, but a hand grabbed her wrist. Sabo was next to her, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Those two are gonna need someone to patch them up when they get like this. Idiots, I swear."

Elva was too shocked to say anything. She merely nodded and listened as Sabo brought up the matter at hand; the issue with Bluejam. Curious as she was, Elva wasn't sure how any of it related to her. She had nowhere to stay – the only option was to return to the Terminal. Yet when Ace suggested they stay with them at the home of the mountain bandits, Elva was taken back.

"Consider it payment for helping us," he mentioned as they walked through the forest towards the temporary home. "And for destroying your shack."

Elva paled; _you don't have to call it a shack._ A gentle smile curled her lips. "What if Dadan doesn't like me?"

"She'll like you; probably more than Luffy or me. You have more to offer her, being a doctor and all." Ace rolled his eyes. "Trust me. She's an old bag, but a fair one. Work and you will have a place to stay."

"You still want me to scram?" Elva feared the answer, yet she wanted to know.

Ace felt a pang of guilt tear through his chest. He shook his head, trying not to insult her. It was always hard to express himself. "No … might run back to Bluejam and tell him about us. Guess that means we're stuck with you." He clenched his teeth and stomped forward, leaving her to join Sabo. She had Luffy after all to keep her company.

 _Thank you … for this chance at freedom._ A hand took her own, giving it a tug. Elva glanced over at Luffy and paled as she noticed the mischievous gleam in his brown eyes.

"Have anymore of that itching powder left?"


	3. Keep the Dream

I admit that I had no intention of posting this chapter, because it was too short and not very action packed. However, I enjoyed writing more about Elva; her character development and relationship with the boys is the main point of this piece. Stay tuned, because more is bound to happen.

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"Aloe is nearly depleted; need to pick more Bearberry leaves too." Elva heedlessly swept the floor as she randomly named off supplies she was in need of. Less than a week in the protection of Dadan and her bandits and already the kit was looking bare. A helpless grunt rippled from her throat. _What am I to do?_ She had no way of getting the supplies herself – the pirates generally did this for her – and frankly, she didn't want to pester Dadan. Rarely did anyone ever leave the cabin; the trio was an exception. Ace told her once, when she asked, that before Luffy came along, he fetched the food and supplies. _The bandits are lazy,_ she recalled him saying. _Don't expect much help from them._ This meant that she'd have to find a way to get supplies herself. "But I can't do that if I'm stuck doing chores," Elva cried out.

"Can't do what?"

Elva clutched the broom to her chest and shrieked; the sudden but familiar voice startled her. She blew a sigh of relief the instant she saw Sabo in the doorway. "You about gave me a heart attack."

Sabo knotted his brows. "Surprised I snuck up on you. Don't your ears usually pick up on far away noises?"

"Yeah," Elva confirmed. "However, I need to focus in order to hear them. I was thinking, so I didn't hear you come in." Her ears twitch in response.

 _That's … kind of cute._ Sabo felt his face heat up, turning his attention to the floor in order to regain his composure. He'd nearly forgotten why he was there; to ask her a favor. Clearing his voice, Sabo returned his attention to long eared girl. "Luffy got beat up. Is there any way you can fix him?"

"Again!?" Elva glared at him. She honestly thought about whacking him upside the head with the broom, but took a deep breath instead. "Have you no idea how much supplies cost? I don't have the belly to spend on them whenever you guys injure yourselves doing something reckless."

Sabo scratched his neck. "Are they really that expensive? We could steal them if that will help."

Knowing that he was just trying to help, Elva huffed another sigh. It wasn't that she was against the idea – she stole countless times just to make it through the day – but honestly, she wished that each of the three would take care of themselves a little better. She wouldn't always be around to patch them up whenever they got injured. As much as it hurt to admit, Elva knew it would someday happen. Then again, it was her responsibility now as the doctor to patch them up, which is why she had an offer to make.

"I will agree, but under the condition that you bring me medical supplies whenever you go into Gray Terminal."

Sabo agreed with a nod. It was a suitable deal, given that most of her reserves went to them anyway. He gave her a minute to gather her bag, then led her from the house and into the forest. Elva was silent as she trailed closely behind the blond, writing quick notes down into a small, leather notebook. Sabo would glance over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure she was still keeping up, wondering just what she was writing about. This was the first time he had seen her with it, so it grabbed his interest.

"What are you writing about?"

The long eared girl briefly peaked up at him, then returned her attention to the pad. "I'm making a shopping list for you, but mostly I document the many roots and herbs I find on the island; uses and such." Woefully Elva sighed, remembering the volume she abandoned. "There's this volume of books – I have one of them – and they contain every known herb and root in the world. However, the series is pretty hard to collect, but I hope to find them all one day."

Again Sabo scratched his neck. "So this series is important to you?"

Elva confirmed with a nod. "I want to be a doctor who can cure people without the use of harmful treatments. _A Modern Herbal_ is the best shot I have at doing that."

Sabo didn't understand how a book could help do this, but he admired her determination to follow her dreams. It reminded him of his own dream to be a pirate and be free. Wanting to help, Sabo vowed that if he ever found one of them, he'd take it for Elva. Seeing her go back to writing, he smiled and lead her to where Ace and Luffy were.

Seated on the woodland floor, Sabo found the straw hat boy; he was more beat up than he remembered. Ace stood, relaxing against the chalk board they used to tally the winner, and bobbed his head to acknowledge Sabo and Elva as they came into the clearing.

"What happened to him? I thought we agreed to only spar 100 times a day."

Ace rolled his eyes. "We did, and besides, he did that to himself."

Elva puckered her brow. "To himself … but how?" It looked as if Luffy ran into his own fist a few couple times. She moved over to him and sat with her legs beneath her, taking out a few supplies from her bag. Having some turmeric powder in a container, she poured some into a wooden mortar and laid out some bandages for later. All she needed now was to saturate it.

"I need water; preferably warm. Have any of you got some?"

Picking up a metal cup, Ace brought it to her. He watched in curiosity as Elva mixed a deep orange-yellow powder into paste and gathered some on a thin, wooden blade that reminded him of a pop stick. She then smeared it thickly over the swollen parts of the rubber boy's face.

Luffy sniffed and drew in his lips. "That smells bad."

"Kind of like mustard," Ace added while taking a step back. Surprisingly, Elva didn't seem too fazed by it.

"Teach you not to be so careless next time," the proud girl stated. She taped a bandage over the knot on Luffy's head and glared at him. "What were you even doing to injure yourself like this?"

Luffy chuckled and brought his lips up into a smile. "I was practicing my new technique on Ace, only I can't seem to get it right and punched myself in the face."

Elva huffed a sigh. Luffy could be very dense at times. "Didn't you think to stop? You could have knocked yourself unconscious."

"Not until I get it right," Luffy argued. "And besides, I have you to fix me up if I hurt myself."

As much as she wanted to agree, Elva couldn't. She balled up her fist and whacked him on the head. "That's not the point, Luffy." Again, she couldn't stress how important it was for them to be careful with their lives. She almost punched him again, but realized that she had knocked him out cold. His brown eyes were stark white and rolled back. Elva squeaked and grabbed him before he fell over, restating to him how sorry she was.

Sabo went pale. "Does that count?"

"It was a straight knock out, so yeah." Ace tossed him the chalk. She packed a strong right hook for such a little girl.

"Hey, Ace! I was thinking … we should bring Elva with us the next time we go into town. Her ears are pretty effective, don't you think?"

Ace huffed a sigh. "I was wondering when you'd ask. Honestly, she's not really the fighting type, but I agree that her ears could be of use." _Her level of skill as a doctor is pretty amazing too._

"You saw her back there at the shack, right? She defended herself just fine with that itching powder." Sabo propped his pipe onto his shoulder and watched a number of emotions flicker across the boy's face.

Ace knew he was right, but he wasn't so certain that it was a good idea. "What's the reason you're so keen to have her tag along with us anyway?" He had to know.

"She's like us. Her dream is important to her, more than death. I knew it was the moment she told me, and I want to help if I can."

Again the freckled boy sighed; this time in defeat. "Do whatever you want, but remember that it's your duty to train her."

 _I knew you'd see it my way_ , Sabo thought.


End file.
